To date, there has been no information about the long-term replication mechanisms of the beta papillomaviruses. We have found that the viral E2 tethering protein forms a very distictive binding pattern on mitotic chromosomes, adjacent to the kinetochore. We are characterizing the long-term replication functions and cellular targets of these viruses. We have previously shown that the HPV8 E2 protein binds to distinct regions of mitotic chromosomes and does not require the cellular Brd4 protein.[unreadable] [unreadable] -We have identified and characterized the cellular target for the HPV-8 E2 protein on a subset of mitotic chromosomes.[unreadable] [unreadable] -We have shown that, unlike some other well characterized papillomaviruses, the HPV-8 E2 does not bind to mitotic chromosomes in complex with Brd4. [unreadable] [unreadable] -We have mapped the specific regions of the HPV-8 E2 proteins that are required for interaction with mitotic chromosomes and shown that this is quite different form the E2 proteins that bind in complex with Brd4.[unreadable] [unreadable] -We have identified post-translational modifications in HPV-8 E2.